NOTE: This was written before The Fever Code was out haha. So I gave Newt a sister in the maze before the books said who Newt's sister actually was/that he had a sister! Jenna is a character I made up :)

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~~~ Newt's POV~~~

There was a great divide between me and her, but I planned to spend my whole life making the gap smaller.

I clicked my pen closed and smiled at the words.

What the heck is wrong with me?

I glanced down at my watch; 1:24.

I've been writing for an hour, holy crap.

I twisted my body around and began climbing back down the wall.

It's just that the words seemed to explain the way I felt perfectly.

Brianne.

That word summed it up.

She was the only reason I wanted to keep moving forward. She was essentially the only reason I hadn't given up yet.

I don't know why, but all of a sudden, I'm remembering small things about life before the glade.

Like I remember Brianne. It's so crazy. I remember talking to her. I remember being close to her, but I don't remember the conversations I had or the times I was with her.

"You know this new found hope won't last long, you'll be upset again." My conscious whispered to me as my feet hit the ground.

Oh shucking well, is what I say to those thoughts. I deserve something good in life. I've had the crappiest year ever.

"You deserve every hard trial you're given. You're an awful person, Newt. You're an idiot to think a girl can change any of this."

"Good days lie ahead." I said to myself as I started running back to the glade, "I just need to let go of the past, that's all."

~~~~~~~~~

~Prologue: Four Years Before The Maze Trials~

~~~~~~~~~

~~~Newt's Pov~~~

Finding and solving for the letter x, is a lot harder than you'd think.

Homework, homework, and more homework. Thats all I did. I wanted to play. I wanted to do something other than school work, but no.

I mean, it's summer and I'm doing this work...

Mum said it would all make sense one day, though. The endless hours of working. The endless days of missing out on normal activities that normal kids would do. It would make sense to me one day; the reason why I couldn't be normal.

I highly doubt that theory.

The extra studying and the constant schooling. The special advanced classes in the best grade school in the city. The push, push, push my mother gives me every day. Telling me to never give up. Telling me to trust my instincts. The constant analyzing and scrutinizing of everything I did.

Nobody forced my younger sister to do this crap.

"She's only eight." That's what everyone told me.

Yah, well I'm only eleven, yet the expectations were set so high for me.

I don't understand why it matters; just let me be bloody stupid. It's not like I have that great a chance at getting a government job. Mostly immunes get those positions.

I glanced out the apartment window. Below were the streets of the big city, the hustle and bustle of it all just as lively as ever. Wait, let me correct myself, the big confined city.

Ever since the flares hit the earth, American citizens have been cornered into these safe cities, secluded away from the diseased parts of the country.

"Should have stayed in England." My dad would mumble repeatedly as he finished bottle after bottle of alcohol.

After having me, my parents realized that England didn't have the same opportunities that America did.

They wanted a better life for me.

That thought made me laugh.

Not even two months later, the sun decided to scorch the whole earth. On top of that, America decided to be a jerk and unleash a disease into the earths atmosphere. Thanks Pres.

America, the land of opportunity, demolished. Millions taken by the sickness. It was all over the newspapers and television channels.

Shortly after that horror, my dad, or should I say the drunk, decided that he didn't want to live with my family anymore. Simply got up and left, leaving nothing but a note in the kitchen.

My mum never let me read the note though, she always insisted that it was 'for grown ups eyes only.'

To this day, I don't know why he left.

But, we've been fine. Of course, my mum's had to pick up the slack. She works more than I study. Which is hard to believe, because I study all day.

So, I guess, I feel forced to succeed in life; for her.

And for me. But mostly for her.

I wish my sister, Jenna, got the same amount of attention I did, but at the same time, I'm glad that the pressure is on me and not her. She'll succeed on her own. I'm sure of it.

She's Immune.

This was my life: prep schools, studying, chores, and looking after my sister and mum.

Occasionally, I'd sneak to the park on a Sunday afternoon to hang out with my friends, but that didn't happen nearly as often as I'd like it to.

So dividing by polynomials.

I tapped my pencil against my desk, again and again.

Honestly, I don't care.

A knock at my bedroom door, pulled me out of my thoughts.

My mother popped her head into the room, "Can I come in?" She asked.

"Yah, I'm just finishing my math pre-exams." I answered, spinning around in my desk chair.

My mum had her dark blonde hair pulled up into an elastic. She wore a dress and black heels.

What was happening tonight? My mum only gets this dressed up when something big is going on.

"I just wanted to chat for a bit." She smiled, her face beautiful but aged, "I love you; you know that right?" My mum sat on my bed.

"Of course." I replied, straightening out my wrinkled pants.

"Good. Good." My mother nodded, closing the blinds on my windows. This was customary when the sky grew darker. It was energy saving for this fortified bubble of a city, "You trust me?"

"Yah." I gulped down the nerves that had built in my throat. Why was my mother acting like this? So awkward, "What's going on tonight?"

"Huh?" She asked.

"Why are you dressed up? Are people coming over?"

"Uh, yah, family friends. Just for dinner," My mother stood, "Please, be on your best behavior. That means no fighting with your sister."

"Alright, I'll hold back my teasing for the night." I smiled, hoping to ease my mum's obvious discomfort.

My mother didn't smile and run her hands through my hair like she normally would, "Be downstairs at six, please." Without another word she left the room, the click-click of her heels growing farther and farther away.

What the heck? Who was eating dinner with us? Nobody ever comes over our apartment.

Maybe a few of Jenna's friends every now and then, but they wouldn't make my mum nervous.

I desperately tried not to worry about it, as I finished my homework.

~~~

Pretty soon, six o'clock rolled around and I hadn't seen my mother since our awkward encounter.

I'd decided to wear something casual downstairs, since I had no clue who I'd be faced with.

Maybe my mum had a boyfriend.

I didn't want that to be true, but I can't say that the thought hadn't crossed my mind.

Or maybe I was being enrolled into a different prep school in the fall and this was a mandatory house inspection. That's happened before.

I leaned my ear against my sister's bedroom door, hearing silence. She must be eating already.

Voices echoed from down in the dining room. Voices of men and women.

I was utterly curious as to who these people were, but I wanted to ease drop for a few minutes before I really arrived for dinner.

I got about halfway down the stairs when the voices became clearer.

"Your son, is he involved in extracurricular activities of any sort?" A woman's voice asked. The clanging of silverware echoed loudly.

"No. He spends a lot of time in studies." My mother answered, "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's good, actually. How are his grades?" This time I heard a man's deep voice.

"Straight A's."

"What year in school?"

"He tests at the American 10th grade level." Why were these people asking about my school life?

"Wow, okay. That's great. So he's some kind of a genius."

"I'd say so." Laughing followed this comment, "Relationship wise, does he get along easily with others?"

"He's very calm and friendly. He's easy to talk to."

"Does he enjoy interacting with others?"

'No," I wanted to yell, but thought better of it.

"Of course."

"Looks. Is he attractive?"

"He's eleven." My mum responded, laughing a little.

"I know, but how are his features?"

"He's a handsome kid, I guess." My mother stuttered.

"Last question. In relation to the Flare, is he immune?"

I decided then that enough was enough and stumbled down the stairs, quickly. I stepped into the dining room. All five pairs of eyes fell on me.

"Oh, here he is. Have a seat, son." My mum smiled at me and pointed to the empty chair at the table.

My body felt stiff as I walked over to the seat and sat down. I glanced at the plate of mashed potatoes and chicken in front of me, not really hungry anymore.

The guests sitting around the table all had on suits and work apparel. Name-tags were fastened onto their shirts. I couldn't read their names, but I could read their company's label. WICKED.

What's WICKED?

I mean, who are these people and why are they asking so many questions about me?

"Honey, these nice people are here to ask you some questions, okay?" My mum's hand drew circles on my arm, calming me down.

"Okay." I whispered, looking at these people's faces again.

Two women and two men. Their faces plain and stressed.

"So, you're the intelligent boy we've been talking about." The younger of the two women said.

"He's very young, yeah?" One of the men asked, I read saw his name to be, Joe.

"No, he's eleven. The age that you wanted him at." My mum assured.

Wanted me?

"Wanted me?" I asked, my voice small and childlike, "What does that mean?'

"We're from a big company called WICKED, young boy. We're searching for the strongest of the strongest and smartest of the smartest children for our experiments. You are a potential candidate for that program."

My breath hitched in the back of my throat. What wasn't my mom telling me?

"I know, this is a lot to take in, but you're going to be living with WICKED's other subjects."

I turned to my mum, "What are these people talking about?" I pushed away the tears welling in my eyes.

"This is what you've been training and studying for, love. These people need you. You're destined for greatness."

"She's right. From my knowledge, your brain succumbs to the Flare. It is an honor to be in your position. You're one of the only candidates we've chosen that isn't Immune."

"You're taking me away from my family?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." The other woman said, "I wish we could have given you more time, but it just needs to happen now."

"Now?" I asked, pushing my chair back away from the table.

"Please, stay here. It seems soon, but your training for the Trials must begin within the next week. You're already at a obvious disadvantage compared to the others."

"The Trials?" My mothers hand reached out for me, but I moved away from her.

"Yes, the Trials. We'll explain later. Look, we need you to cooperate with us."

"You're really taking him tonight?" My mum asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes ma'am. It's hard, I know, but he will be a stepping stone in the process of finding a cure." One of the men tried to make the matter at hand sound better than it really was.

"The boy will be safer with us, than he could ever be in this city." The woman said.

"Does he need to pack?"

"No, everything he needs will be at the WICKED headquarters."

"Mum, why are you letting this happen?" I stood from the table, "I refuse to leave with you people!"

"Newt." One of the woman whispered.

"What?" My mother asked, her voice shaking.

"The boy. We will call him Newt after Isaac Newton."

"No, that's not my name!" I yelled, backing up.

"Hun, please, listen to me. You need to do this." My mother stood from her chair and walked closer to me. Her hand caressed my tear stained cheeks, "I love you."

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to speak to anyone, not even my mum.

I was being taken far away, to live in some place called WICKED. Life as I knew it was being ripped away from me.

"Newt-"

"You can't call me that, that's not my name! My name is-"

"The Flare."

"What?" I asked, unsure of what my mother was trying to say. The unwanted guests stood around the table silently. At least, they were kind enough to let me say goodbye.

"It's in the city. Pretty soon we'll all be sick," My mother sobbed, "This is your only chance to escape the illness."

"What about you?" I couldn't leave knowing that my family was going to die.

"I'll be fine and your sister's Immune," My mother hugged me, "Please, save yourself."

"I don't care about myself!"

"I love you, remember that."

I don't remember what happened after that. It was impossible to remember much with the type of tragedy I was going through. I most likely blacked out at some point.

The final drive through the city, the flight to WICKED headquarters, I don't remember any of it.

I woke up the next day in a bed that wasn't my own.

And all I know is that, something changed in me that night.

Good or Bad; I'm not yet sure.

~~~~~~~

~~~Author's Notes~~~

This chapter was different. I don't know how I feel about it. I'm scared to post it, haha, I don't know why, but I am.

It's a bit of a break from the usual story, because I wasn't ready to post the real update yet. But everyone likes Newt so why not dedicate a chapter to his life before the Maze.

I left out specific details like Newt's real name, because I feel like that's something James Dasher should get to decide.

Anyway, I think I want to make my second Playlist soon. So AHDJDK!

AND MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS BAES!! *if you celebrate*

AS USUAL ILY ALL AND I'LL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT UPDATE!!!

*58K READS, WHAT THE HECK*